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Booker Statement on Senate Passage of Legislation to Combat Opioid Addiction

Statement

Date: March 10, 2016
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Health and Health Care Drugs

Today, U.S. Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) issued the following statement after the Senate passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA), which Booker cosponsored. The bill would reauthorize a number of opioid prevention and education programs at Department of Justice and Health and Human Services agencies:

"Opioid addiction has taken a devastating toll on families in New Jersey and across the country. We cannot stand idly by and watch this growing epidemic jeopardize the health and welfare of so many of our friends and neighbors. The legislation passed by the Senate today will support important federal initiatives to help combat this alarming crisis."

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), opioid overdose deaths hit an all-time high in 2014. The number of unintentional overdose deaths from prescription pain relievers has soared in the United States in recent years, more than quadrupling since 1999.


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